Hearing loss decisions — 2017

The Board has denied the Veteran's claims of entitlement to service connection for left ear hearing loss, cervical spine disability, a skin disorder of the face and chin, bilateral knee disability, and acquired psychiatric disorders. The Veteran's claim for a compensable rating for eczema of the feet was also denied.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded to obtain additional evidence and for a VA examination. The issues of service connection for bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, right knee disorder, and right ankle disorder are on appeal.

The Veteran's initial evaluation for bilateral hearing loss was granted at 10 percent prior to October 15, 2013. From and after October 15, 2013, the Veteran is entitled to a 20 percent evaluation.

The Board granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus, finding that the Veteran's current conditions are related to his military service. The claim for a higher rating for left thumb disability was remanded, and TDIU benefits were denied.

The Board has granted service connection for bilateral hearing loss, left ear hearing loss, and tinea pedis. The Veteran's left ear hearing loss is presumed to have been aggravated by his military service. Tinea pedis was not shown to be related to any disease or injury in service.,Service connection was established for the following conditions: left knee/leg disorders (claimed as arthritis of the left knee and left leg), right knee/leg disorders, bilateral foot disorders, and tinea pedis.

The Veteran's appeal was denied for an initial rating in excess of 30 percent for headaches, an extraschedular rating based upon the combined effects of multiple service-connected disabilities, and a TDIU due to his chronic headaches, bilateral hearing loss, and tinnitus.

The Veteran's claims for diabetes mellitus, hepatitis C, and plantar calcaneal heel spurs were denied. The Veteran was granted a compensable rating (level II) for bilateral hearing loss.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development, including obtaining missing audiogram results from March 2015.

The Veteran's bilateral hearing loss was rated at 50 percent effective February 21, 2013. This rating is based on the severity of his hearing impairment as determined by VA audiometric evaluations.

The Veteran's service-connected bilateral hearing loss was rated at 40 percent prior to July 1, 2016 and increased to 50 percent thereafter. No higher ratings are warranted.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for additional development of his VA and private treatment records, including audiograms from the University of Alabama Medical Center (Kirklin Clinic).

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded due to the need for additional development of his claims, including obtaining private treatment records from Georgia Regents Medical Center.

The Veteran's service connection claim for bilateral tinnitus was granted. The remaining issues are addressed in the REMAND portion of this decision.

The Veteran's appeal is being remanded for a new VA examination to assess the current severity of his service-connected bilateral hearing loss. The issue remains whether he should receive an initial compensable rating.

The Board finds that the Veteran's currently diagnosed bilateral hearing loss is related to noise exposure in service and grants service connection for this condition.

The Veteran's claim for an increased rating for service-connected bilateral hearing loss was denied as he failed to report for a scheduled VA examination without good cause.

The Veteran's TDIU claim for the period prior to February 3, 2006 is denied as there is no evidence that his service-connected disabilities rendered him unemployable during this time.

The Board has remanded the case for additional development, including obtaining VA Vocational Rehabilitation records and an addendum opinion from the April 2016 VA examiner regarding the etiology of the Veteran's bilateral hearing loss disability.

The Board has determined that the Veteran does not have a current diagnosis of bilateral hearing loss disability, and his claims for service connection for bilateral knee disorder and mild degenerative joint disease of the lumbar spine are denied as there is no evidence of in-service injury or chronic condition. The examiner found no link between any current conditions and service.